Today is Thursday, June 20, the 172nd day of 2024 with 194 to follow.
Today is the first day of summer.
The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune and Saturn.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include author/playwright Lillian Hellman in 1905; actor Errol Flynn in 1909; musician Chet Atkins in 1924; actor/World War II hero Audie Murphy, winner of the Medal of Honor, in 1925; actor Martin Landau in 1928; actor Olympia Dukakis in 1931; actor James Tolkan in 1931 (age 93); actor Danny Aiello in 1933; actor John Mahoney in 1940; Football Hall of Fame member Len Dawson in 1935; filmmaker Stephen Frears in 1941 (age 83); musician Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) in 1942 (age 82); musician Anne Murray in 1945 (age 79); TV handyman Bob Vila in 1946 (age 78); musician André Watts in 1946; musician Lionel Richie in 1949 (age 75); actor John Goodman in 1952 (age 72); musician Michael Anthony (Van Halen) in 1954 (age 70); musician John Taylor (Duran Duran) in 1960 (age 64); musician Jerome Fontamillas (Switchfoot) in 1967 (age 57); musician Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) in 1967 (age 57); musician Dan Tyminski (Alison Krauss & Union Station) in 1967 (age 57); actor Nicole Kidman in 1967 (age 57); filmmaker Robert Rodriguez in 1968 (age 56); musician Twiggy Ramirez, born Jeordie White, (Marilyn Manson/Perfect Circle) in 1971 (age 53); actor Josh Lucas in 1971 (age 53); musician Camillo "Chino" Moreno (Deftones) in 1973 (age 51); actor Tom Wlaschiha in 1973 (age 51); musician Amos Lee in 1977 (age 47); actor Tika Sumpter in 1980 (age 44); actor/musician Alisan Porter in 1981 (age 43); musician Grace Potter in 1983 (age 41); actor Mark Saul in 1985 (age 39); actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse in 1989 (age 35); actor Serayah McNeill in 1995 (age 29); actor Julian Hilliard in 2011 (age 13).
On this date in history:
In 1893, a jury in Fall River, Mass., acquitted Lizzy Borden in the ax murders of her father and stepmother.
In 1898, the U.S. Navy seized Guam, the largest of the Mariana Islands in the Pacific, during the Spanish-American War. The people of Guam were granted U.S. citizenship in 1950.
In 1900, in response to widespread foreign encroachment upon China's national affairs, Chinese nationalists launched the so-called Boxer Rebellion in Beijing.
In 1945, Secretary of State Edward Stettinius, Jr. approved the resettlement of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the United States. Von Braun would go on to lead the U.S. space program.
In 1963, the United States and Soviet Union agreed to establish a hot line communications link between Washington and Moscow.
In 1967, the American Independent Party was formed to back George Wallace of Alabama for president.
In 1977, oil began to flow through the $7.7 billion, 789-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
In 1988, armed forces commander Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy declared himself leader of Haiti in a military coup overthrowing President Leslie Manigat.
In 1991, the German Parliament voted to move its capital from Bonn to Berlin.
In 2004, Pakistan and India reached agreement on banning nuclear testing.
In 2009, insurgents, striking in a series of attacks as U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq as planned, set off a truck bomb near a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq, killing 82 people and injuring 250.
In 2010, Juan Manuel Santos easily defeated former Bogota Mayor Antanas Mockus to become Colombia's president.
In 2023, Romanian authorities charged self-styled lifestyle coach and social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, with rape and human trafficking. As of 2024, they're expected to stand trial on the charges.
A thought for the day -- "I never liked being called the 'most-decorated' soldier. There were so many guys who should have gotten medals and never did -- guys who were killed." -- World War II veteran Audie Murphy
